Symbolic funeral march held in Portsmouth in solidarity for those in Gaza impacted by the Israel-Hamas conflict

The Portsmouth and Southdowns Solidarity Campaign arranged Sunday’s (March 17) march from Fratton Railway Station to Commercial Road to call for an end to the violence. More than 31,000 people have died in Gaza in the past five months, according to the territory's health ministry. Participants in the march wore black and brought candles, flowers and signs as well as reading out the names of some of the dead.

An escalation in the conflict between Israel and the Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas began after Hamas gunmen killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel on 7 October and took 253 other people hostage. Israel launched an offensive to free the hostages, many of whom are still being held, and find members of Hamas who it says are hiding amongst the civilian population.

The UN warned on Monday that famine was "imminent" in northern Gaza, with an estimated 70 per cent of the 300,000 people living there experiencing catastrophic levels of hunger with aid unable to get through to them,